Building Manager (Facility Operations Leader)

Department

IU LAB (IN-LAB-IUINA)

Department Information

The Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences (IU LAB) is Indiana University's flagship initiative to translate its $1 billion research enterprise into real-world impact - advancing disease prevention and treatment, fueling entrepreneurship, and expanding Indiana's $99 billion life sciences economy. Located at 16 Tech in Indianapolis and supported by a $138 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., IU LAB will feature state-of-the-art laboratories, startup incubators, and workforce development programs. Through the Bio Startup Center and the new IU Health Incubator, IU LAB will accelerate innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship in areas such as medical devices, diagnostics, and technology. By bringing together researchers, clinicians, students, entrepreneurs, and industry partners, IU LAB is designed to become a national model for university-industry collaboration.

Job Summary

The Building Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational management, readiness, safety, and user experience of the Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences. This highly visible facility is designed to support advanced bioscience research, innovation, industry collaboration, entrepreneurship, and shared scientific infrastructure within the 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis. The Building Manager serves as the primary operational point of contact for the facility and its occupants and coordinates closely with Indiana University facilities, public safety, environmental health and safety, information technology, research operations, building service providers, contractors, vendors, tenants, and external partners.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Supports a complex research environment containing laboratory, office, collaboration, meeting, and public-facing spaces.
• Ensures that the facility and its building systems reliably support scientific operations while providing a professional, safe, welcoming, and highly responsive experience for faculty, staff, researchers, companies, partners, visitors, and other building users.
• Oversees daily facility operations, readiness, maintenance, inspections, and critical building systems.
• Coordinates with IU Facilities and service providers on repairs, preventive maintenance, shutdowns, warranties, commissioning, and building performance issues.
• Coordinates facility and infrastructure needs for laboratory and research operations, specialized spaces, utilities, and scientific equipment.
• Minimizes operational disruptions and maintain escalation procedures for failures affecting research, equipment, or samples.
• Coordinates building safety, security, access, emergency procedures, drills, incident response, and recovery with appropriate IU partners.
• Maintains emergency contacts and escalation procedures for building occupants and controlled areas.
• Serves as a primary facility contact for occupants, tenants, partners, and visitors, ensuring responsive service and a high-quality building experience.
• Coordinates onboarding, offboarding, access, orientation, communications, and facility procedures.
• Maintains space and occupancy information and coordinates moves, furniture, signage, access, and other occupancy changes.
• Supports space planning and effective utilization of shared and dedicated spaces.
• Coordinates contractors and building service providers, monitors performance, and manages access and communication with occupants.
• Supports procurement, scopes of work, service agreements, and vendor reviews.
• Coordinates receiving, shipping, deliveries, waste, equipment moves, and other building logistics.
• Oversees shared-space readiness and supports meetings, tours, events, and visitors while maintaining appropriate security.
• Supports the operating budget, expense tracking, procurement, contracts, invoices, and cost-control efforts.
• Monitors building performance, utilities, sustainability opportunities, and operational metrics.
• Supports commissioning, turnover, warranties, occupant move-in, and transition from construction to full operations.
• Establishes operating procedures, maintenance schedules, vendor relationships, emergency and access protocols, and building documentation.
• Identifies and coordinates resolution of early operational deficiencies to establish a reliable, service-oriented research facility.

General Responsibilities

• Contributes on senior leadership teams to formulate strategic planning and the highest-level operational objectives for Facility Operations areas.
• Establishes long-term business plans and long-term strategic objectives. Establishes short-term business plans and long-term operational objectives, including managing project timelines/deliverables and developing resource plans for multi-project/multi-phase Facility Operations initiatives.
• Directs leadership staff who provide supervision to Facility Operations teams.
• Responsible for escalated operational issues, including human resources and/or people management situations.
• Drives innovation and excellence within the area of Facility Operations; reviews and creates policies and procedures.
• Determines overall budget for Facility Operations teams; reviews and approves financial proposals from direct reporting leaders; has significant fiscal responsibilities that require frequent interaction with executive leaders.
• Provides expertise and identifies grant and/or funding opportunities; develops business relationships across the university and externally.
• Stays up to date on new Facility Operations standards, procedures, technologies, and safety measures and works collaboratively with other Facility Operations leaders across departments and/or campuses in determining standards, best practices, and related policies/procedures; ensures the adoption and implementation by direct reporting leaders.

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in business, inventory management, controls, facilities management, or related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 5 years in business, inventory management, controls, facilities management, or related field.
• 3 years of management experience in relevant field.

Preferred

• Demonstrated experience managing facilities, building operations, property operations, or a comparable complex physical environment.
• Experience working in a multi-tenant or shared research environment.
• Experience opening or commissioning a new building or major facility.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES

Required

• Valid driver's license and ability to be insured by Indiana University upon date of hire.

Preferred

• Facilities-related professional certification such as Certified Facility Manager (CFM), Facility Management Professional (FMP), or equivalent.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent collaboration and team building skills.
• Effectively coaches and delivers constructive feedback.
• Instills commitment to organizational goals.
• Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Effective conflict management skills.
• Builds and manages effective teams.
• Effective leadership skills.
• Ability to represent the company with external constituents.
• Ability to drive multiple projects to successful completion.
• Understanding of budgets and budgeting process.
• Knowledge and understanding of Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Ability to successfully complete required training programs.

Preferred

• Ability to work effectively with individuals representing a wide range of technical backgrounds and organizational levels.
• Ability to respond appropriately to urgent building issues and participate in after-hours emergency response when necessary.
• Familiarity with environmental health and safety requirements applicable to laboratory environments.
• Familiarity with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), building automation systems, access control systems, and space-management tools.
• Experience supporting scientific equipment installation and laboratory infrastructure planning.
• Experience coordinating multiple vendors, contractors, service providers, and internal stakeholders.
• Experience managing a laboratory, research, life sciences, pharmaceutical, healthcare, university research, or similarly technical facility.
• Experience with laboratory mechanical systems, HVAC, exhaust systems, building automation systems, emergency power, specialty utilities, or other research infrastructure.

Working Conditions / Demands

This role regularly requires the ability to effectively communicate. This role frequently requires the ability to handle equipment. This role frequently requires the ability to remain stationary and ascend/descend ladders/stairs. This role requires the ability to move objects weighing up to 25 pounds. The role requires the ability to detect items in close proximity as well as far away; discern between colors; detect objects in peripheral space of self; discern items in detail; and to have good depth perception. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

The position requires regular movement throughout laboratory, office, mechanical, loading, storage, and common areas of the facility. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support building activities, planned shutdowns, special events, or emergency situations. The Building Manager is expected to participate in an appropriate after-hours escalation/on-call structure for significant facility issues.

The role will transition to the new IU LAB facility upon its completion in 2027.

Work Location

Indianapolis, Indiana (16 Tech Innovation District)

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.

Job Classification

Career Level: Strategic

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Engineering, Trades and Facility

Job Family: Facility Management

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Posting Disclaimer

This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.

If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

Campus Safety and Security

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online. You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at [email protected] or by visiting IUPD.

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